This area has an incredible annual South Beach Food and Wine Festival the last weekend of February. The annual event showcases many of the world’s top chefs, spirits producers, and culinary personalities. The event is hosted by Florida International University‘s (FIU) School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Proceeds from the festival go to the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management’s Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at FIU.

South Beach Food and Wine Festival 2012

This archtectural district is pretty compact so it’s relatively easy to walk around and be transported to another era. Most of the interesting buildings have been beautifully restored.

This area is located in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. The district is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Sixth Street to the south, Alton Road to the west, the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard to the north. It contains 960 historic buildings.

South Beach Map

Image via Wikipedia

The Ocean Drive area received Historic District designation thanks to the efforts of Barbara Baer Capitman and her fellow Art-Deco loving Miami Design Preservation League activists.

There are two distinctive design principles that characterize the geometric facade of these buildings: (1) the center element is the most dramatic; (2) the sides of the facade are symmetrical. A good example is the Berkeley Shore Hotel shown in the picture above. South Beach has a distinctive Tropical Art Deco Style.

The “Miami Beach Architectural District embodies the design continuum of the City from its early development Period in the 1910’s to the construction Boom following World War II. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 largely through the efforts of Barbara Baer Capitman, founder of the Miami Design Preservation League. Its one square mile area includes over 800 significant structures with the following architectural styles: Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, Streamline Modern and Miami Modern or “MiMo.” The Colony Hotel is the oldest Art Deco Hotel in South Beach!

The Colony Hotel in South Beach

I love South Beach Florida

Art Deco Welcome Center in South Beach

Stop at the Art Deco Welcome Center to pick up a map. Plan a walking tour with a headset. Here are some intersting examples of architectural gems in South Beach on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue :

The Carlyle Hotel at 1250 Ocean Drive in South Beach

There have been many movies filmed in South Beach: the Carlyle Hotel is where the “Birdcage” was filmed starring Robin Williams at 1250 Ocean Drive.

The Carlyle at Night

The Cardozo at 1300 Ocean Drive

Hotels in South Beach Florida

The Edison Hotel in South Beach

The Cardozo Hotel at 1300 Ocean Drive has a sweeping front porch that gracefully curves around the corner and represents “Streamline Style.”

The Cardozo hotel was named after the Supreme Court justice and it has been lovingly rehabbed by Gloria and Emilio Estefan in an Asian Motif. Walk into the hotel to admire the vintage poster collection.

The charming Beacon Hotel is where the movie “Scarface” was filmed with Al Pacino. Check out the photos at the end of this post to see the interior of the Beacon Hotel.

After your walking Tour, have a refreshing Miami Vice with a “Rum Floater” (presented in a test tube) at the Cleavelander Hotel on Ocean Drive as you listen to live music. Everyone loves the Cleavlander!

English: Digital photo taken by Marc Averette. A typical winter day on South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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